Litter Windrows in the South-East Coast of the Bay of Biscay: An Ocean Process Enabling Effective Active Fishing for Litter

Large scale convergence regions of floating marine litter are commonly observed in semi-enclosed seas as the Bay of Biscay. However, clean-up activities on such accumulation regions are limited by the spread of the large-size floating litter on the sea surface. Data gathered by a small-scale fishing vessel devoted to active fishing for floating litter activities during the spring and summer of 2018 reveals that the linear streaks of high concentration of floating litter (so-called litter "windrows") are common accumulation structures in the south-east coast of the Bay of Biscay. The random search of litter windrows for their collection through surface tows of macro-nets was proved to be an effective action for floating litter mitigation. A total of 196 tows collected 16.2 tons of floating marine litter in 68 working days. Most of the litter windrows were around 1 km length and, on average, accumulated 77.75 kg of floating marine litter. Fishing, shipping and aquaculture sectors were the source of 35% of the 4,130 litter items analyzed (55% in weight of the sourced items), and plastic was the most common type of material (96% in terms of items). A better understanding of the phenomenon of the litter windrows, capable to guide clean-up efforts in space and time, would provide a considerable improvement in the efficiency of mitigation actions to reduce the marine litter pollution. The observations of litter windrows in the coastal area of the south-east of the Bay of Biscay demonstrate the key role of submesoscale processes in the distribution of FML. The present work provides a thorough description of floating litter windrows in nature, which it was non-existent to date. The results are the kind of proof necessary to boost the research addressed on the submesoscale aggregations of FML. Coupling litter windrows observations with remote-sensing technology and high-resolution modeling techniques offer great opportunities for the mitigation actions against marine litter

Historia, filosofía y ciencia medievales (siglo XIV) según El nombre de la rosa, de Umberto Eco

In the early fourteenth century, the confrontation between the "spiritual" Franciscans and Pope John XXII had arisen. The German Emperor Ludwig of Bavaria intervened in the confrontation in favor of the Franciscans and against the pope. In the novel The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, the conflict between the Franciscan William, who represents William of Ockham and the Dominican inquisitor Bernard Guí it is staged. In its pages the author cited the philosophy of Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure of Bagnoregio, Marsilio of Padua and William of Ockham himself. Political philosophy and scientific knowledge of the time: Albert the Great and Roger Bacon and others complete the picture of that XIV century. This shows an unquestionable educational interest of Umberto Eco's book.En los primeros años del siglo XIV se planteó la polémica entre los franciscanos “espirituales” y el papa Juan XXII. El emperador alemán Luis de Baviera intervino en la confrontación a favor de los franciscanos y en contra del Papa. En la novela El nombre de la Rosa de Umberto Eco, se escenifica el conflicto entre el Franciscano Guillermo, que representa a Guillermo de Ockham y el inquisidor dominico Bernardo de Guí. En sus páginas se cita la filosofía de Aristóteles, Tomás de Aquino Buenaventura de Bagnoregio, Marsilio de Padua y el propio Guillermo de Ockham. La filosofía política y el conocimiento científico de la época: Alberto Magno y Roger Bacon entre otros completan el panorama del citado siglo XIV. Todo ello demuestra una labor educativa incuestionable del libro de Umberto Eco

Measuring farmers' attitude towards breeding tools: the Livestock Breeding Attitude Scale

Under-use of genetic improvement tools and low participation in breeding programmes are key drivers of breeding programmes under-performance. Both aspects are heavily influenced by farmers attitudes which, to date, have not been analysed in an objective and systematic manner. A key factor constraining the implementation of attitudinal studies towards livestock breeding tools is the lack of a reference scale for measuring attitudes. In this research, we provide the livestock breeding sector with such a reference measure. We developed the scale following the standardized psychometric methodologies and statistical tools. Then, as a case study, we used the scale to explore the attitudes of beef and dairy sheep farmers in Australia, New Zealand and Spain and analysed farmer and farming system factors related to those attitudes. Fourteen sheep and beef breed associations facilitated the implementation of a survey of 547 farmers, generating data that was used for the scale evaluation. The relationship between attitudinal factors and farmer and farming system factors was analysed using generalized linear models across and within breeds. The results suggest that the 8-item definitive scale we have developed is appropriate to measure farmer attitudes. We found that attitudes towards genetic improvement tools have two components; i) traditional selection and ii) genetic and genomic selection combined. This means that positive attitudes towards traditional phenotypic selection do not necessarily imply a negative attitude towards genetic and genomic selection tools. Farmer attitudes varied greatly not only across the studied breeds, species and countries, but also within them. High-educated farmers of business-oriented farms tend to have the most negative attitude towards traditional selection. However, attitudes towards genetic and genomic selection tools could not be linked to these factors. Finally, we found that the breed raised had a large effect on farmer attitude. These findings may help in the evolution of breeding programmes by identifying both the farmers most inclined to uptake breeding innovations in the early stages of its establishment and the farmers who would be more reluctant to participate in such programmes, thus informing where to focus extension efforts

Muerte de un lince ibérico. Establecimiento de la causa y la autoría

Las ciencias forenses se aplican desde hace poco tiempo como herramientas en las investigaciones de delitos contra el medio ambiente. En este trabajo se expone un caso pionero en cuanto a la utilización de estas técnicas en un caso de un delit o contra la fauna silvestre. La investigación se inicia tras la apari ción de un lince ibérico muerto en el interior de una finca, donde se encontraron también varios pollos supuestamente utilizados como cebos envenenados y otro cadáver, el de un zorro. El lince ib érico es uno de los mamíferos más amenazados del planeta. Se llevaron a cabo distintos análisis a partir de la necropsia de los cadáveres en el Centro de Análisis y Diagnóstico de la Fauna Silvestre (CAD), el laboratorio de referencia para la fauna silvestre pertene ciente a la Junta de Andalucía. Los resultados fuer on concluyentes, ambas muertes se produjeron como consecuencia de la ingestión de cebos envenenados con un plaguicida extremadamente tóxico, el aldicarb. También se encontró esta sustancia en los pollos recogidos en el interior de la finca. Con el fin de e stablecer la culpabilidad de los propietarios de la finca, que negaron tener nada que ver con las muertes y la colocación de los cebos, se utilizó una herramienta novedosa en este tipo de investigaciones, la genética forens e. En base a los resultados se co nsiguió establecer una relación de parentesco entre los pollos utilizados como cebos envenenados y los pollos propiedad reconocida de los sospechosos, que permitió demostrar que todos tenían el mismo origen. Gracias al trabajo conjunto y coordinado durante toda la investigación y el informe pericial elaborado por el laboratorio del CAD, la Consejería de Medio Ambiente y Organización del Territorio de la Junta de Andalucía consiguió una sentencia ejemplar contra los envenenador es.The application of forensic science as a research tool to resolve crimes against the environment is relatively rec ent. To our knowledge this is the first instance in which the forensic genetic have been used as a definitive evidence to find out guilty in crimes against the wildlife. Our research starts when an Iberian lynx was found dead into a farm; very close to sev eral chickens used as poisoned baits and a fox carcass. Iberian lynx is one of the most endangered mammals in the planet. A comprehensive investigation from the carcasses was performed in the Analysis and Diagnostic Center for Wildlife in Andalucia (CAD), the reference laboratory for wildlife of the Andalusian Government (Spain). The results determined that the deaths occurred as a result of ingestion o f baits poisoned with an extremely toxic pesticide, aldicarb. This substance was also found in chickens ga thered inside the farm. In order to establish the guilt of the owners of the farm, who refused to be related to the deaths and the placement of the b aits, an innovative tool was used in this kind of research, the forensic genetic. Based on the results we got, we established a relationship between the chickens used as poisoned baits and the chickens from the farmer, all of them had the same origin. Thanks to the coordinated actuation during the complete investigation and the official report by the CAD labor atory used in the trial, the Ministry of Environmental and Territorial Organization got an exemplary sentence against the poisoners

Lepidium meyenii (Maca) increases litter size in normal adult female mice

BACKGROUND: Lepidium meyenii, known as Maca, grows exclusively in the Peruvian Andes over 4000 m altitude. It has been used traditionally to increase fertility. Previous scientific studies have demonstrated that Maca increases spermatogenesis and epididymal sperm count. The present study was aimed to investigate the effects of Maca on several fertility parameters of female mice at reproductive age. METHODS: Adult female Balb/C mice were divided at random into three main groups: i) Reproductive indexes group, ii) Implantation sites group and iii) Assessment of uterine weight in ovariectomized mice. Animals received an aqueous extract of lyophilized Yellow Maca (1 g/Kg BW) or vehicle orally as treatment. In the fertility indexes study, animals received the treatment before, during and after gestation. The fertility index, gestation index, post-natal viability index, weaning viability index and sex ratio were calculated. Sexual maturation was evaluated in the female pups by the vaginal opening (VO) day. In the implantation study, females were checked for implantation sites at gestation day 7 and the embryos were counted. In ovariectomized mice, the uterine weight was recorded at the end of treatment. RESULTS: Implantation sites were similar in mice treated with Maca and in controls. All reproductive indexes were similar in both groups of treatment. The number of pups per dam at birth and at postnatal day 4 was significantly higher in the group treated with Maca. VO day occurred earlier as litter size was smaller. Maca did not affect VO day. In ovariectomized mice, the treatment with Maca increased significantly the uterine weights in comparison to their respective control group. CONCLUSION: Administration of aqueous extract of Yellow Maca to adult female mice increases the litter size. Moreover, this treatment increases the uterine weight in ovariectomized animals. Our study confirms for the first time some of the traditional uses of Maca to enhance female fertility

La investigación histórica sobre el franquismo: un análisis de su productividad en las revistas españolas (1976-1992)

The present study refers to the historical period called «franquismo» (1939-1975) through the historiographic production of the Spanish journals included in the ISOC database, from 1976 to 1992. The analysis presents results in the following fields: production by subjects and periods (first franquismo, second franquismo), productivity expressed in years, evaluation of the journals and the most prolific authors.Estudio del período histórico denominado «franquismo» (1939-1975) a través de la producción historiográfica de las revistas españolas recogidas en la base ISOC, desde 1976 hasta 1992. A partir del análisis de los datos, se presentan resultados en los siguientes aspectos: producción por materias y épocas (primer franquismo, segundo franquismo), productividad por años, valoración de revistas y autores más prolíficos

Effect of Yb concentration on the resistivity and lifetime of CdTe:Ge:Yb codoped crystals

The resistivity and electron lifetime of CdTe:Ge:Yb crystals are reported, demonstrating that the effect of Yb concentration is crucial for accurate electrical compensation. It is also demonstrated that the codoping of CdTe with Ge as deep donor and with Yb as rare-earth element could be a promising way to obtain semiinsulating CdTe crystals with good transport properties. High resistivity 5 10 9 cm and lifetime 9 s were obtained, thus confirming the beneficial effect of rare-earth dopingThis work has been partly supported by the projects CAM SENSORCDT S-0505/MAT/0209, CAM FOTOFLEX S-0505/ENE-123, and EU FP6 PHOLOGIC 017158. E.S. also acknowledges the Spanish MEC for the fellowship FPU 2003-1388.Peer reviewe

Temporal evolution of the Evershed flow in sunspots. II. Physical properties and nature of Evershed clouds

Context: Evershed clouds (ECs) represent the most conspicuous variation of the Evershed flow in sunspot penumbrae. Aims: We determine the physical properties of ECs from high spatial and temporal resolution spectropolarimetric measurements. Methods: The Stokes profiles of four visible and three infrared spectral lines are subject to inversions based on simple one-component models as well as more sophisticated realizations of penumbral flux tubes embedded in a static ambient field (uncombed models). Results: According to the one-component inversions, the EC phenomenon can be understood as a perturbation of the magnetic and dynamic configuration of the penumbral filaments along which these structures move. The uncombed inversions, on the other hand, suggest that ECs are the result of enhancements in the visibility of penumbral flux tubes. We conjecture that the enhancements are caused by a perturbation of the thermodynamic properties of the tubes, rather than by changes in the vector magnetic field. The feasibility of this mechanism is investigated performing numerical experiments of thick penumbral tubes in mechanical equilibrium with a background field. Conclusions: While the one-component inversions confirm many of the properties indicated by a simple line parameter analysis (Paper I of this series), we tend to give more credit to the results of the uncombed inversions because they take into account, at least in an approximate manner, the fine structure of the penumbra.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&

Modelling floating riverine litter in the south-eastern Bay of Biscay: a regional distribution from a seasonal perspective

Although rivers contribute to the flux of litter to the marine environment, estimates of riverine litter amounts and detailed studies on floating riverine litter behaviour once it has reached the sea are still scarce. This paper provides an analysis of the seasonal behaviour of floating marine litter released by rivers within the south-eastern Bay of Biscay based on riverine litter characterizations, drifters, and high-frequency radar observations and Lagrangian simulations. Virtual particles were released in the coastal area as a proxy of the floating fraction of riverine litter entering from rivers and reaching the open waters. Particles were parameterized with a wind drag coefficient (Cd) to represent their trajectories and fate according to the buoyancy of the litter items. They were forced with numerical winds and measured currents provided by high-frequency radars covering selected seasonal week-long periods between 2009 and 2021. To gain a better insight into the type and buoyancy of the items, samples collected from a barrier placed at the Deba River (Spain) were characterized at the laboratory. Items were grouped into two categories: low-buoyancy items (objects not exposed to wind forcing, e.g. plastic bags) and highly buoyant items (objects highly exposed to wind forcing, e.g. bottles). Overall, low-buoyancy items encompassed almost 90 % by number and 68 % by weight. Weakly buoyant items were parameterized with Cd = 0 % and highly buoyant items with Cd = 4 %; this latter value is the result of the joint analysis of modelled and observed trajectories of four satellite drifting buoys released at the Adour (France), Deba (Spain), and Oria (Spain) river mouths. Particles parameterized with Cd = 4 % drifted faster towards the coast through the wind, notably during the first 24 h. In summer, over 97 % of particles beached after 1 week of simulation. In autumn this value fell to 54 %. In contrast, low-buoyancy items took longer to arrive at the shoreline, particularly during spring with fewer than 25 % of particles beached by the end of the simulations. The highest concentrations (&gt;200 particles km−1) were recorded during summer for Cd = 4 % in the French region of Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Results showed that the regions in the study area were highly affected by rivers within or nearby the region itself. These results couple observations and a river-by-river modelling approach and can assist decision-makers on setting emergency responses to high fluxes of floating riverine litter and on defining future monitoring strategies for heavily polluted regions within the south-eastern Bay of Biscay.</p